One Second (Seven Series Book 7) (5 page)

“Those are just rumors,” someone said dismissively.

“Are they?” Axel leaned on the podium. “I’ve got thirty-two dead bodies that say otherwise. Councils talk to each other regarding local affairs, but we don’t know what else could be going on around the country.”

“Maybe they need some form of communication,” I murmured.

Axel snapped his head in my direction. “What was that?”

I swallowed thickly and stepped forward, even though Austin was gripping the waistband of my jeans. “I was just saying that maybe there should be a central form of communication between all the Councils for emergency situations. It could be something as simple as delegating a few people to send out mass e-mails to all the Councils nationwide. Or maybe a private website to track information.”

My face heated as people quietly judged me.

Axel looked at Austin. “Is that your woman?”

“Damn right.”

Axel drew in a deep breath and nodded. “It’s an idea we’ve tossed around in the past, but it’s not an easy one to implement. Every territory operates differently and doesn’t like sharing their personal business. But maybe now is the time for change. We’ll talk later.” He turned his attention back to the crowd. “Any questions?”

A man with long hair stood up. “Who’s going to tell us if they come back?”

“That’s my job,” Axel replied. “I’ve got everyone’s number, and we’ll use the bulletin system. I’m not holding information back. We’ve put checkpoints in place that’ll make it harder for outsiders to get in. Their wolves aren’t going to be running through miles and miles of godforsaken wilderness during a snowstorm. They’re honing in on established packs.”

A woman stood up, straightening the back of her red dress. “How could no one have noticed all those rogues moving across the border?”

Axel shrugged. “People move around all the time; there’s no law against it. But in retrospect, we had cause for alarm. Rumor is they were brazenly heading down the highway in large groups, scouting the territory. The first house they attacked, they parked their cars away from the property and circled the outside perimeter, moving in on foot. There were only five in that pack, so they didn’t stand a chance. I don’t know how trained they are or if each group is just doing their own thing, but that seems to be their modus operandi.”

“What are we supposed to do, just sit and wait for them?” she continued.

A few others voiced their agreement.

“No,” Axel said with a laugh, stroking his goatee. “I suggest you go home, make love to your mates, play with your children, watch some television, and establish guard duty with the strongest wolves in your pack. I don’t want anyone running around with their guns loaded.” Axel pointed to the left and then to the right. “If you kill that guy’s packmate, then he’ll seek justice and kill one of yours. The next thing you know, we’re killing each other and doing them a favor. I’m more concerned about what’s happening in the other forty-nine states. So go home, think about it, and if anyone has questions, we’ll have a private meeting with the Packmasters on Tuesday and hash it out.” He banged a gavel and walked off.

Metal chairs scraped against the floor as the chatter increased and everyone slipped on their jackets. I easily spotted the Packmasters, who were keeping their cool and leading everyone out.

Our group formed a huddle.

“What do we do?” I asked.

Axel appeared and wedged himself between Austin and Reno. “Stay a few days longer. Relax, enjoy your vacation, spend some good tourist money in our shops, and know that you couldn’t be in a safer place at the moment.” He patted Austin on the shoulder. “Come with me; we need to talk.”

When they left, I folded my arms, my voice lyrical and full of sarcasm. “Isn’t this charming? I get to spend my romantic getaway in the middle of a pack war.”

“Nothing we can do,” Reno said quietly. “We’re safer in our cabins.” He glanced over his shoulder as people continued vacating the room. “If this is the real deal, then I’m betting the rogues have statistical data for each pack, including their locations. They’re not going to wander around and risk getting caught, and they sure as hell ain’t gonna hike through the woods and bust in the door to one of our puny little tourist cabins.”

“Hey, they’re not puny,” April protested. “I happen to think they’re the perfect size.”

“I’m
not
buying it,” he grumbled, his voice lowering an octave. “We talked about this.”

“Then timeshare it!”

“I’ll build you a cabin behind the house. How ’bout that?”

She rolled her eyes and headed toward the refreshments with a sassy strut. Reno adored her, and if April wanted that cabin, odds were she was going to get it.

I rocked on my heels, hugging my midsection and chewing on my lip. I’d never been involved in anything like this before, and all I could think about was the safety of my pack.

“You’re in capable hands… I presume,” Lorenzo said. “I plan to make some calls to our local Council and find out if they’ve had any trouble. If it eases your mind, I can lend you four of my men to watch your house until we return.”

Ivy patted his leg with her cane, her voice sincere. “That’s generous of you, Lorenzo.” I saw the love for him shining in her eyes.

“So we’re supposed to drink cocoa and act like nothing out of the ordinary is going on?” I asked in disbelief. “I can’t build a snowman and bake a pie if rogues might be attacking my family!”

Lorenzo tucked his hair behind his ear. “It’s too treacherous to cross the border without knowing if we’ll be walking into a trap. They might be kidnapping Shifters to use as bait. We should gather more information before we put our own lives at risk.”

Reno leaned in. “Are you baking another pie?”

“I’m
not
baking a pie!”

He cursed under his breath, and that’s when I realized that he and April had done something naughty with that pie. Maybe it was the disappointment on his face, or perhaps it was April spinning around with a mortified expression, holding a glass of punch that slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor.

Ivy hurried to her side to help her clean up the mess.

“What happens if they attack our territory? Are we prepared?” My stomach tightened in dread.

Lorenzo pinched his chin, his eyebrows drawing together. “Austin, Texas, is a major city. They’ll have to occupy Dallas and Houston before they infiltrate the mid-cities.”

“But they might just attack them all at once like some kind of coordinated swarm of bees. Look at how organized the packs are here,” I said, waving my arm at the room. “Why the hell are we still living in the Stone Age? Why doesn’t
our
Council have town hall meetings? Instead, all the Packmasters sit around sucking on each other’s cigars to keep alliances.”

Austin rejoined our huddle. “April, Ivy,” he called out, waving them over.

When they returned, he put his hands in his pockets, keeping his voice low since there were still people in the room. “I don’t want anyone calling home and warning the pack. We play it cool.”

“Why the hell not?” I asked, probably louder than I should have.

“First of all, their Packmaster and second-in-command aren’t there to keep the peace. I trust William, but you know how easily Maddox gets riled up. Secondly, we should respect our Council and deliver the news to them first so they can make an informed decision. Rumors get spread easily, and I’m not about to be the source of those rumors. If you tell Jericho, he’ll mention it to the flakes at the bar, then the story gets twisted around in the retelling, and the next thing you know, paranoia sets in and the packs wind up turning on one another. We’ve already got one or two unstable Packmasters in the territory who would love nothing more than to take out a pack for their land and blame it on Northerners.”

“What makes you think
they’re
not going to spread the gossip?” I asked, gesturing toward the packs in the room.

“I have no control over what they might or might not do; all I can do is look out for my own. Axel said it’s not safe to cross the borders yet. One of the men they captured did some talking, and it sounds like they’re following one leader who’s giving out the commands. How many there are and what their master plan is, he doesn’t know. Chances are they’ll stay put until their leader orders them to try again or move elsewhere, so we’re going to give it a few days and then head back. I don’t think I need to say it, but I don’t want any of you shifting, and that includes indoors. Your wolves baying in the woods might attract unwanted attention, so put a lid on the urge. Axel added me to the call list. If anything goes down near the borders, we’ll be the first to know. Let’s head out.”

“I need to stop off at the store,” I reminded him.

He lowered his head. “What do you need that’s so important we have to go shopping in the middle of a pack war?”

Sunglasses? A chocolate bar? A few tabloid magazines?
“Important things that could save lives,” I said, flouncing off.

After picking up supplies at a small store, Austin treated everyone to dinner at a Breed restaurant.
He wanted the locals to remember us so they wouldn’t mistake us for rogues. While the men stuffed their faces with shrimp and fries, chatting about cars and hunting, the women were quiet and filled with worry. April poked at her chicken salad while Ivy called Hope and asked about her day. I cleaned off my plate of fried chicken while observing a woman in a low-cut top who was flirting with my mate. Austin paid her no mind, but that didn’t deter her from eating her french fries and ketchup like a porn star.

When a Shifter ambled behind me and drew in a deep breath, I shuddered. I might as well have been spraying sex perfume all over that restaurant. Even some of the non-alphas noticed it when I made a trip to the salad bar. The pheromones Shifter women give off during heat work like an aphrodisiac, which is why we isolate ourselves until the cycle ends. For those who have an attentive mate, it ends sooner rather than later.

Before the men had a chance to open the dessert menu, I implored Austin to get us the hell out of there before I started a pack war for real. He gave me a roguish grin, leaning on the table until his biceps hardened. His messy hair wasn’t quite long enough to cover his clear blue eyes, and when he shot me a sexy wink and waggled those wolfish brows, I melted a little in my chair. Everything about that man was a turn-on—from his laid-back attitude to the slow way he’d lick his finger when he got sauce on it. If I had to sit across the table and watch him eat chocolate cake, I was liable to combust.

“Still thinking about earlier?” he asked, making a left turn.

I straightened my new sunglasses when the bright afternoon sun flickered inside the truck.

“Yeah. It’s kind of hard to think of anything else,” I admitted, scanning the woods that led to our cabin.

He reached over and squeezed my knee. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Ladybug. Not as long as I’m around.”

And that’s all it took to put me at ease. If there was one thing Austin had proved in all the years we’d known each other, it was that he would never let anyone hurt me—he would always be my protector. He was unquestionably my guardian angel in many ways, and I’d never felt safer with anyone.

“You should have ordered some shrimp to go,” I suggested. “We don’t have much chili left.”

He parked the truck on the right side of the cabin and shut off the engine. The cold air immediately penetrated the glass windows, and I shivered.

“I’m not in the mood for leftovers,” he said. “Think I’ll cook up some cheeseburgers tonight with onion rings. How’s that sound?”

Austin cooking me dinner? That sounded like heaven
and
the twilight zone all at once.

I unbuckled my seat belt and then gripped my knees.

He leaned over and removed my sunglasses. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit.” When his nostrils flared and pupils dilated, I jumped out of the truck and marched toward the cabin.

As soon as I walked inside, I noticed the chill.

“Did you turn off the heater?” I shouted, tossing my coat on the rack and kicking off my boots.

Austin slapped me on the ass as he walked inside and hung up his own coat. “It’s a waste of electricity if we’re not here.”

I peeled off my gloves and tossed them on the table. “Since when do you care about energy conservation? You keep the electricity running at our old house year-round, when we hardly ever go there.”

I knew what Austin was scheming, and maybe that’s why I was a little mad at him. It hadn’t escaped my attention that he’d been turning the heat low so I’d cuddle with him more. Not that I minded, but this heat cycle added a whole new element of danger, and he’d known all along. Until the Council gave us permission to leave, we were confined in a cabin with no doors separating the rooms. Austin had plenty of willpower to keep his distance, but I sure as hell didn’t. Eventually I was going to start having fantasies about doing naughty things with him on the hood of his truck, in the blistering cold, with the motor running.

The next thing I knew, he circled in front of me and grabbed my ass, pulling me close. “Why don’t you go upstairs and try on those new panties?”

“Very funny.”

I drew in his musky scent when he leaned down to kiss me softly on the lips.

“I’m serious,” he said, his voice rough, sexy.

“We can’t. You know what could happen.”

“Yeah, I do.”

I jerked my head back. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about making babies with my woman, that’s what I’m talking about.”

My cheeks flushed, and damn my traitorous body for becoming aroused at hearing those words. “You’re not thinking straight because of all the sex pheromones in the air.”

He tipped his head to the side, encasing me in his strong arms. “On the contrary, Ladybug, I’m thinking more clearly now than I have in a long time. There’s a reason we’re here. You already went into heat this year, so having a second spell at this exact time, in this place where we’re alone—it’s a sign.”

“Yeah, and the sign says Do Not Enter, so maybe you should heed the warning.”

My heart galloped in my chest like a team of wild stallions when I saw the power of his spirit wolf flickering in his eyes.

“I’m serious, Lexi. I’m willing to take the risk if you are.”

An unexpected wave of joy filled me with hope. “Your judgment is clouded. Think about what you’re saying.”

“Been thinking about it all year.” A close-lipped smile touched his face. “Are we going to fight about making babies?”

“I could lose it,” I said with a flare of disappointment.

He let go with one hand and tilted my chin up. “And you could also keep it, but we’ll never know unless we give him a chance to show us how strong he is.”

“He?”

His thumb brushed across my cheek. “Or she. I’m all in if you are.”

“Now?”

His lips grazed my mouth. “If not now,
when
?”

My trepidation crumbled away, and I kissed him hard.

Screw it.

“Now,”
I whispered.

Austin pulled me against him, and my body hummed with desire. He lifted me off the ground, and I wrapped my legs around his waist while he strode toward the ladder. The kisses never stopped, and each time my fingernails scraped at the back of his neck, he would temporarily break the kiss and groan.

I immediately regretted having chosen to wear the green turtleneck sweater, especially when he tried to kiss my neck and got caught up in the fabric.

Austin set me down, his lips swollen with my kiss. “I think you have a few clothes to change into.”

“Clothes? Usually this works better without them,” I suggested, sliding my fingers behind the waistband of his jeans.

He hissed, slamming his hand against one of the beams, gripping it tight. “I want to see you in those sexy panties,” he growled.

I bit my lip. Austin and I rarely made love in the afternoon. It was too awkward in a house full of Shifters to just excuse ourselves and go upstairs. Yet a little afternoon delight felt naughty, and another wave of tingles rippled through my body when his heavy-lidded gaze stripped me naked.

I whimpered and yanked him toward me.

Austin resisted, his erection throbbing against his jeans. “Get moving, Ladybug. I’ll grab a few bottles of water,” he said, his voice warm and inviting.

“What for?”

“Because you’re gonna be real thirsty by the time I get finished with you, and I won’t be stopping for a water run.”

I scrambled up that ladder like a six-year-old running toward an ice cream truck.

The loft upstairs was quaint, with a bed low to the floor just ahead of the ladder, a nightstand on the right with a lamp, and a short dresser on the left against the opposite wall. The ceiling didn’t run straight across but slanted down to the right, giving the room a cozy atmosphere.

“Sexy panties, here I come,” I sang quietly, stripping out of my clothes and tossing them on the pile of laundry.

Vacations were wonderful because we didn’t have to be tidy if we didn’t want to. In a house full of ten or twenty, one dirty cup quickly multiplied into fifty.

Although Austin
had
suggested that we do some laundry and test out the spin cycle, but he wasn’t talking about clothes.

I stepped into my expensive black lace panties, and when I pulled them up, the lower half of my ass was showing. I stood in front of the slim mirror to the left of the dresser, wondering if Austin was going to laugh himself into a coma. I didn’t normally dress up in lingerie because he said it was like putting sprinkles on a cake. Either the cake was delicious or it wasn’t, and sprinkles weren’t going to change a damn thing.

I reached in the bag and pulled out the black bustier. My breasts were an average B-cup, but once I latched the bustier all the way on, my jaw dropped. I turned to the side, the fabric hugging my narrow waist and giving me the hourglass figure I’d always desired.

The ladder creaked, and I spun around in a panic. Instead of posing seductively, I scrambled to the bed and snatched the red flannel blanket, covering myself up like the coward that I was.

“Change your mind?” Austin asked with a wolfish grin. He stepped off the ladder and ruffled his hair.

“Um… maybe we should…”

Austin stripped out of his shirt, and my breath caught. The tribal ink that marked him a Packmaster covered his upper arms and shoulders. When his pupils dilated, it made his icy blue eyes look like something otherworldly. No matter how many years we’d been together, Austin always seduced me as if we’d never been intimate before. He looked at me with all that newness and desire as if he were seeing, tasting, and feeling me for the first time. He had a predatory look that made him appear wild and dangerous, one that sent chills across my skin.

He took off the round medallion he often wore, the cords of muscle on his arms flexing. When he reached down to unbutton his jeans, I quickly spoke up.

“Don’t.”

His eyes flashed up, and he froze.

I sauntered toward him, blanket still wrapped around my shoulders. As soon as I was close enough, I leaned forward and drew in a deep breath, running my nose along his chest.

“I’ll take care of you,” I said softly, letting the blanket fall to the floor.

Austin’s eyes hooded, and he sucked in a sharp breath. I knelt in front of him, slowly unzipping his jeans and tugging them down. I had him in my thrall, and looking up at all that pure maleness of muscle and form gave me goose bumps. Next to go were his black boxer briefs, and I made sure to take my time, retaining eye contact even as I rose to my feet.

We stood there for a nervous beat, staring at each other. His lips parted, and he slowly stepped into my space, his hands resting on my hips.

Austin’s voice was soft and reverent. “You’re my queen, you know that?” He knelt down and traced the fabric of my bustier with his fingertips. “You have the power to bring an alpha to his knees.”

“Want to see the back?”

“I might as well worship while I’m down here.”

I slowly turned, feeling his warm hands sensually touching my backside. A low growl resonated in his throat, and he suddenly wedged his hand between my legs, caressing me with skilled strokes. I gasped, wishing I had something to hold on to—fantasizing as I gazed at the bed.